Thursday, December 24, 2009

Christmas Eve & Peace


Merry Christmas and Peace!

Some of you will have nice Christmases. Others will not. Some will have lovely dinners with your families; others will endure dysfunctional family dramas. Some will be solitary. Some will be stuck at home or relatives’ houses because of the weather. Some will stay in a posh hotel, but breakfast on Krispy Kremes from the convenience store, as we once did, because nothing else was open, and yet it was one of the best Christmases ever! But will we make it to the movies tomorrow in the snow?

Here’s what has happened to my ‘60s housewife stay-cheerful Christmas resolution: today I was suddenly unable to clear table surfaces! I simply lay on the couch and read like a vampire.

Here are some of the books on my table I couldn’t bring myself to clear off today. As you can see, I like lots of choices:

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. The first book in the series, Twilight, is fantastic, but this one seemed a little hurried and awkward. I wouldn’t have finished it if my YA mentor hadn’t told me the end was worth it, but she was absolutely right. One has to know what happens to Bella.

Little Dorrit (I’ve read this book way too many times. I'm almost done, though.)

Simonetta Perkins by L. P. Hartley (a novella published by Hesperus Press)

Flambards Divided by K. M. Peyton. The last Flambards book.

The Guermantes Way (I’m reading it occasionally.)

The Sacred Book of the Werewolf by Victor Pelevin (a well-reviewed Russian novel, not a werewolf junk book!)

By the way, the dysfunctional family drama took place outside of our household. Still, it was sad, and listening to Susan Boyle made me cry (a sign that I was a bit upset, because she was singing Wild Horses, not the Dream song!). But the dropped ball is dropped, it's out of our control, and now we can relax and spend our actual Christmas day in peace.

So have a lot of happiness, and if you’re feeling too freaked-out, try to treat it as an ordinary day. It’s an excellent time to read, watch reruns of House, and listen to R.E.M. or your favorite rock.

2 comments:

Danielle said...

Much better to enjoy a good book than clear off that table--it's a holiday, so a break is a good thing. I'm snowed in, but at least in my own house and will celebrate with family later in the weekend. I had no idea there was more than one Flambard book by the way--I found one at a library sale and am looking forward to reading it.

Frisbee said...

Merry Christmas, Danielle! Sorry about the snow--I know you're really walloped there. But it's good you get to have your Christmas later with family. And good to stay home and be safe when the snow is bad.

Yes, it is a good day to read. I'm almost finished with The Poisonwood Bible and am looking forward to my Christmas books, as I'm sure you are!

The snow isn't as bad for us today .